


STARSKY'S SON

by ksstarfire



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Angst, Dreams, Kidnapping, Love, M/M, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:42:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29952210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ksstarfire/pseuds/ksstarfire
Summary: Stargirl and I have a FB page where we take a suggestion or find a pic and we write a story about it.Stargirl writes mostly Starsky and I write mostly Hutch, but we both write both guys when it's our turn to move the story along. (I hope that made sense.)This is the latest story we wrote.A past girlfriend of Starsky's comes back into his life with a 3 year old that looks just like Starsky.
Relationships: Starsky/Hutch
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	STARSKY'S SON

Hutch looked down at Starsky as he walked past. "You coming to the table or are you going to lay there all afternoon?"

Starsky got up and watched Hutch light the candles. He walked over and sat down.

Hutch came over with a covered pot. He took the lid off, revealing a roast with potatoes and carrots.

"Candles, and my favorite meal. What's the special occasion?"

Hutch leaned down and kissed him, before he sat down himself. "Do I need a special occasion to spoil the love of my life?"

Starsky smiled. "You can spoil me anytime you want." He reached over and squeezed his lover's hand. "Maybe I'll do some spoiling later on."

"I'm counting on it, babe."

After they ate, both cleared the table and cleaned up. Starsky went in the bedroom and came out wearing sweat pants and a tee shirt. He sat down and started thumbing through the TV Guide. Hutch emerged from the bedroom, wearing pretty much the same as Starsky.

He grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to Starsky as he sat down. When Starsky got up and switched the television on and flipped the channel Hutch rolled his eyes and moaned. "Starsk? Didn't we just watch Dracula and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, a couple nights ago? Now you want to watch another Vampire movie tonight? You trying to tell me something?"

"Well, I do love to nibble on your neck." Starsky grinned as he took a drink.

"I'm glad you're getting something out of it."

"I'll tell ya what. Tonight you watch this, and the next time we watch what you want to watch, deal?"

"Uh, shouldn't it be the next 'two' times?"

Starsky snuggled up close and kissed his lover.

"Bribery, too." Hutch kissed him again. "You win."

Starsky smiled.

"You're lucky you’re as hot as you are, buddy." Hutch shook his head and finished his beer. He got up, grabbed Starsky's, and got them both new ones. "I can only hope you get inspired during the first flick and we won't have to watch the second one." He chided as he nudged Starsky's arm.

They did barely make it half way through before Starsky had Hutch naked and in bed, making slow and sensuous love to his lover.

However, around three AM when Hutch woke up, need and want were the only two things on his mind. Hot and hard was more of the description Hutch thought afterward as he lay panting with Starsky in his arms. Starsky fell back asleep almost immediately, as Hutch lay relaxing. He pulled his partner close and kissed the sweaty curls as he closed his own eyes and drifted off.

The alarm blared. Starsky knocked the clock onto the floor and covered his head back up with the sheet.

Hutch came in with a cup of steaming hot coffee and set it on the bed table. He picked up the alarm clock and turned it off. "Planning on killing this one too? How many is this...four?"

"Well, if someone hadn't woken me up at the crack of dawn, maybe I would be a little more rested."

Hutch sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled the sheet down and smiled at his sleepy looking partner. "I didn't hear you complaining when I was balls deep inside you."

"Can't we call in today?"

"Starsk, we have that meeting with IA about Donaldson. The judge is going to set a trial date. And besides, it's our weekend after today. Tonight I thought we might take off a little early and go eat at Huggy’s. Maybe play some pool." Hutch tosseled Starsky's hair. "And, for your information, I love waking you up just to make love to you."

Starsky opened his eyes and stretched. He pulled himself up and wrapped his arms around Hutch, kissing him. "You can wake me up anytime you want from now on." Starsky kissed him again, and rubbed his hands up and down Hutch's back; as he started to pull his shirt out of his waistband.

Hutch stopped him and handed him the coffee cup. "Up and shower." He got up and walked out the door or the bedroom. "We can't be late."

Starsky scoffed and got up and ready. Hutch was not kidding about leaving. He was waiting at the door for Starsky as he walked out of the bedroom.

The meeting lasted over an hour. When they came out of Dobey’s office they finished reports from the past few days. Starsky went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat while Hutch went through the files to make sure they had everything there before he put them in the basket by Dobeys door.

"Hutch?"

Hutch looked up in surprise, "Danni?" He stood up. "How are you?"

She smiled politely. "Oh, could be better."

"Have a seat." Hutch tried to keep calm. He knew Starsky's breakup with Danni had not been the best, but they stayed civil the few months following until she left the city and went back home to her parents place.

A year after that, Starsky and himself became lovers. He couldn't shake the feeling he got when he saw her standing in the room, but he was determined to stay calm and respectful. "Do you want anything? Uh, coffee? Water?"

"No thanks. Is Dave around?"

"He went down for something..." Hutch looked up as Starsky came through the door with a tray.

"Couldn't figure out what you wanted, so I got you a few things you can pick from. Doris said she has new cream cheese that has almonds in it...she gave you extra..." Starsky stopped and stood there staring at Danni. He put the tray down near Hutch. "Danni."

"You look good, Dave."

"So...do you." Starsky had a feeling this wasn't going to be good. He looked at Hutch, then back to Danni. "Why are you here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Talk." Starsky watched her look between him and Hutch. "You can talk about anything in front of Hutch. You know that. It's not that he don't know what...who you are."

"Starsk..." Hutch touched Starsky's arm to try to calm him down.

"I need to speak to you alone. It's something...David, please."

Starsky looked at Hutch who knew it was Starsky's way of asking him permission to be alone with his ex-girlfriend. Hutch nodded.

"Come on. We can go down the hall." Starsky opened the door and let Danni go first, then followed her out. He walked toward the interrogation rooms and opened one that was unoccupied. When he closed the door, he turned and leaned against it. "You can sit if you want."

Danni pulled the chair out and sat down. "You do look good..."

"Danni, I know you didn't come all this way to make small talk. What are you here for?"

"You always did want it straight and to the point. Okay, here it goes. Right after I left I found out I was pregnant. You, of course are the dad." She watched Starsky's face go from shock to anger. She almost wished she had let Hutch in on the conversation.

"Why...I have a baby?" He thought about it for a minute, letting it sink in. That was about three years ago, give or take? Then anger flushed through him, "You kept that from me?" That was when he started yelling. Danni yelled right back.

Hutch looked at his watch for about the tenth time. What was taking so long? Starsky couldn't stand Danni, so why was he still talking to her?

And what was he talking to her about?

Putting the last report on top of the stack, Hutch took them into Dobey’s office and put them in his Captain's in box. He walked back into the squad room. Still no Starsky.

"Maybe..."

Hutch walked out of the room and turned toward the interrogation rooms. The first three had the locks turned to "Do Not Disturb". The fourth, the door was shut but the lock wasn't engaged. Debating for a few seconds, Hutch turned and walked into the observation room.

The curtains were open. He knew neither Starsky nor Danni could see him. It looked like they were having a heated conversation. He could tell Starsky was yelling. Hutch hesitated only a minute then reached forward and turned on the tinny speaker in front of him.

Danni was speaking.

"... left I found out I was pregnant. You, of course are the dad."

"Why...I have a baby? You kept that from me?"

Hutch quickly turned off the speaker, wishing he had never turned it on. He could tell they were both yelling at each other.

Danni had given birth to Starsky's baby.

Hutch hadn't known they had been that close. And Starsky always used a condom. That was something they both did. Neither had wanted a child like that.

But it would appear that Starsky had forgotten or one had broken.

A sudden feeling of sickness...dread...came over Hutch. He knew Starsky had wanted kids before they had become a couple. What if...what if Starsky still wanted to be a father?

Coldness surrounded him. He felt his heart start pounding.

He knew he had to act normal when he saw Starsky again. He had to let Starsky tell him what Danni had wanted. So he checked that they were still talking...loudly it would seem, and left the observation room. He walked to the bathroom, went in and splashed some cold water on his face. Then he returned to the squad room.

Trying to keep busy, Hutch pulled some files out of their "double check" file. There were only four there. The rest they had finished up earlier. He sat down on his side of the desk and flipped through the files, not seeing anything written in them.

He heard a noise at the door and it took all his strength to stay in his chair, to try to look innocent of knowing what was going on. He waited until Starsky sank into his chair. Looking up, he saw the anger still on his lover's face. But there were other emotions there too. Anger, fear, and...Hutch swallowed hard...hope.

Clearing his throat, Hutch kept his eyes on the file in front of him. "Everything okay?"

"No. Yeah. No. Can we get out of here now?"

"I just finished the last report." Hutch tossed the file in the rack on his desk. "Let's go. I'm looking forward to taking your paycheck at Huggy's pool table. And a couple beers. I think Huggy's special is burritos this evening. I know you'll order them. I'll have a sandwich." He laughed, but it sounded off to himself.

"Uh, look, Hutch...I, uh, need some time to think about some things. Rain check on our plans for tonight?"

That cold spot inside Hutch grew bigger and froze over.

"You okay? What did Danni have to tell you?"

"Nothing. Look, we can talk over the weekend...sometime. I need some space tonight."

"Sure, Starsk. Why don't you go ahead and leave. I'll have Simmons give me a ride home." Hutch prayed Starsky would turn down that offer and they could go home together. Then Hutch could press Starsky about what Danni had wanted. See if Starsky was willing to tell him.

"Yeah. Thanks, Hutch. I'll talk to you..." Starsky walked out the door without finishing his sentence.

Hutch walked to the door his partner had just exited and looked out the window. Starsky was running down the stairs.

"Oh, babe, let me help you. We always talk things out. Maybe I can help you with this."

Simmons walked into the room then and agreed to take Hutch home. "Saw Starsky running down the stairs like his hair was on fire. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. You know Starsky, always late for this and that."

Hutch kept up a conversation as Simmons drove him home.

As soon as he was in his apartment, he ran to the phone to see if Starsky had called. But there were no messages on the answering machine.

"Starsk...call me, babe. I'm here. You don't have to go through this alone.

Starsky didn't know how long he’d been driving around. When he pulled the car over and turned the engine off, he was in front of Venice Place. He stood at the door, trying to figure out how he was going to break this news to Hutch. He finally brought his hand up and knocked his usual way he did. The door flew open, startling him.

"Starsk...you okay?"

Starsky nodded and walked past Hutch.

Hutch closed the door and turned. That pit was growing in his stomach. "Want a beer?"

"Do you have anything stronger?"

Hutch swallowed the lump in his throat. He walked to the cabinet in the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed two glasses and went over to the couch. After filling both glasses halfway, he handed one to Starsky and sat next to him.

Starsky sat for a minute, staring at the glass of liquid. He then clinked it against Hutch's. When he looked in Hutch's eyes he saw fear. He smiled, as if to reassure his lover nothing was wrong with them. "To us and our future." He saw Hutch close his eyes and saw the tension fall away.

Hutch took a drink when Starsky did. He waited a moment before he said anything. "Is...everything okay with Danni?"

"No. She came here...after three..." He got up and walked across the room. "She came here after all this time just to tell me I have kid. She waited three years to tell me that!" Starsky was shaking with anger.

Hutch got up and went over to him. "Starsk..." He saw his partner was about to break down. He took the drink and set it down on the table, then he gathered his partner in his arms. At first Starsky held on to him, like he couldn't pull Hutch close enough. Then Hutch felt Starsky start to shake. He was crying. "Oh, babe." Hutch let him get out what he needed. When the sobs slowed and all that was left was a sniff here and there, he pulled him back to look at him. "Let's go sit down." Hutch lead Starsky to the couch and sat down. He reached over and took his glass and handed it to Starsky. "Here. Take a drink." Starsky took a good sized gulp. "You're going to get through this, babe. I'm going to be right there with you, okay?"

"Okay. God, Hutch...He don't even know I'm his dad. She kept it from me."

"Did she say why?"

"She didn't want him raised by a cop, or so she says. She hooked up with a big business guy in New York. They got married and moved to Maine. She was living the life...she said he called the guy..." Starsky felt sick to his stomach. "...’Daddy’. Someone else is being called that and it should be me. He don't even know I exist."

"So she comes here, says the baby is yours and goes back to Maine?" Hutch was livid.

"She said they fought a lot. Money issues, she wanted to spend it and he refused to give it to her. She thinks he was cheating on her."

"Oh, I see. Her and Vanessa should be friends." When Hutch saw Starsky's corner of his mouth start to form a smile he pulled him close. "Is she going to let you see him?"

"She said she would call me after she went to see her mom. She lives about an hour away from here."

"I know this is stupid for me to ask this, but, are you ready to see him?" Starsky shrugged. "I think you should, Starsk. He's yours. You are sure he is, right?"

"Timing is right for how old he is. I guess we can get that checked, right?"

"We can. I'm sure Doctor Garret knows what to do. Did she tell you his name?"

"Michael."

Hutch smiled. He pictured a little boy with dark curly hair sitting on his partner's knee. "Your middle name."

Starsky smiled slightly. "Yeah."

They sat on the couch for a bit, neither saying anything. The closeness didn't require talk.

Hutch was uncomfortable. He was angry at himself for listening in on Danni and Starsky's private conversation. He had to tell him. The question was how.

"Hutch, our talk started rough and just got worse and worse. She was screaming at me and I was screaming right back. She..."

"Starsk...I know. Well, I know some of it. I'm sorry. You'd been gone a long time and I was worried about you. I needed to know what was going on. I'm not proud of this but I slipped into the observation room. At first I just watched. Then I turned on the speaker when it looked like you were getting angry. I turned the speaker off and left when you two started yelling at each other. I am so sorry I invaded your privacy. It's just that I love you so much, and I wanted to know what she wanted so I could protect you. Can...will you forgive me? I promise I'll never do that again. You have my word."

Hutch shifted on the couch.

"I felt bad about what I did. But I didn't know how to tell you."

At first Starsky was angry. Then he closed his eyes and thought about it.

"Hutch I would have done the same thing. I would have been worried about you in the same situation. I understand and I forgive you."

"I give you my word I'll never do it again." Hutch reached out and pulled his lover into a tight hug.

"What's gonna happen now? Is she going to bring him here to meet you?"

"He's with her mother. Danni didn't want to bring him into the station. She said she would call me."

"You should go back home. She wouldn't know to call here."

"She can leave a message on the machine. I didn't want to be there, alone, to talk to her."

"You want me to go over there with you?"

"Yeah. That would help me. You don't mind?"

"No, I don't mind. I love you, Starsk. And when you love someone, you help them."

"I don't deserve you, Hutch..."

"You have earned my love, babe. As I have earned yours." Hutch leaned in to kiss Starsky, who stood up quickly.

"Uhhh, Hutch...I can't...don't..."

"I understand, babe. Sorry. I didn't mean to push you. When...if...you want to...let me know. I can wait."

"It's not that. I'm mentally exhausted with all of this...crap. She told me that towards the end when we were fighting a lot, I couldn't satisfy her anymore. She said I might as well have fucked anyone and got a hard on quicker, even you." Starsky looked anywhere but in Hutch's eyes.

Hutch got up and when over to him. "What she said made you feel...dirty?"

"I would never feel that way with you, ever. She made me feel...inadequate. Like, I can't fuck her the way she likes so I am not man enough to be a dad." Starsky shook his head.

"Starsky, you are more than man enough to do anything you want when you put your mind to it. When you guys were in the process of breaking up, do you remember me telling you that I thought she was a bitch for what she was putting you through? Remember when she came to my house and started in on me about you? How she said you took her home after a date because you had more important things to do? You and I both knew that the more important thing was you getting away from her before something really bad happened between you both. You also tried so hard to get along with her after you two split. I was so proud of you. You were man enough to let things lie. Most guys wouldn't do that. You did even when she went to the station and made a big scene. You kept your cool. That's why I love you and fell in love with you.

“You are the most masculine, and toughest guy I know. But you have the most precious heart and would give anything to help another human being. I'm always going to cherish what I have with you. I will never push you to do anything you don't want to do, but, I want you to fight for what is yours. I'll be right here, whenever you need me."

Starsky stared at Hutch, then he pulled him into a long and lingering kiss. "I love you so much." Tears flowed down his cheeks. "I want to be a Dad, Hutch. I want him to know I want that."

Hutch smiled and touched Starsky's cheek. "I know you do." He kissed him gently. "And I'm going to be the fun Uncle that he calls when his Dad makes him take a nap."

Starsky laughed and wiped his face. "Okay, okay. I'm okay now. Let's enjoy our weekend. There is nothing I can do now for a few days." Starsky grabbed his jacket. "Let's go eat and play some pool. And if you think you're gonna win back your money, you got another think coming."

"Don't count on it, Pal."

Starsky stopped at the door. He turned and faced Hutch. "I'm a Dad."

Hutch kissed him. "You sure are."

They drove to Huggy's, ordered beers, and began to play pool. They fell into their routine of trash-talking each other about who was the better player.

Hutch smiled.

"Whatcha smiling for, Blondie?"

"Because I'm happy. This is what we do, who we are. Best friends who love each other and enjoying our lives together."

"You going all 'poet' on me again, Hutch?"

"Maybe. You got a problem with that, Gordo?" Hutch narrowed his eyes.

"Nope. Kinda like it." Starsky laughed.

Huggy came over with fresh beers and the three of them caught up on the latest goings on in their lives.

"I got Specials for lunch. You guys hungry?

"What's a 'Special'?" Hutch looked dubious.

"You don't know what a 'Special' is?"

"Nope." Hutch looked at Starsky who was grinning. "You know?"

"Ah, no. But it's good to find out you don't know everything!"

Starsky ducked as Hutch threw a fake punch his way.

"You two ever quit clowning around, I'll describe my latest taste sensation."

They both nodded at Huggy.

"It starts with a fried flour tortilla. Then the layers happen. Refried beans. Shredded lettuce. Crumbled fried hamburger.

Shredded cheddar cheese. Diced tomatos and onions. Sour cream. And topped with my homemade salsa. Oh, and some HOT jalapenos on the side! MMMMMMmmmmmm. Heaven."

"We'll both have those!" Hutch's mouth was watering.

"You're gonna eat that?" Starsky was amazed.

"Well, most of it's healthy!" Hutch laughed at the look on Starsky's face.

"Two of Huggy's Specials coming right up."

They racked the balls and played another game of pool, finishing as Huggy called them over to their table. "Eat it while it's hot!"

Starsky tore into his.

Hutch was a bit more cautious, but after the first bite, he too was enthusiastic in eating.

Huggy brought over two beers and stood by the table. "Well?"

"Huggy, this is amazing!" Starsky smiled.

Hutch nodded his agreement. "A winner, Hug!"

All of a sudden, it seemed the bar got quiet.

Huggy spun around, wondering what was happening.

Starsky and Hutch looked too.

Danni was standing just inside the door of the bar. She was dressed like a socialite, prim and proper. But the look on her face was one of disgust.

Huggy started toward her, intent on shooing her out of his bar.

Starsky beat him to it.

"Danni? What are you doing here?"

Hutch walked over, close enough to hear what was going on.

"What do you think I'm doing here?! Honest to God, David, I went to your place to talk to you about Michael. When you weren't there, I figured you would be at Hutchinson's or here. At this cheap bar."

Huggy started to say something, but Hutch touched his arm, cueing him to silence.

"This bar isn't 'cheap', Danni. Our good friend Huggy owns it. We like coming here. It's comfortable. And we can relax. Unlike those hoity toity places you always wanted me to take you to."

"Uh oh."Hutch whispered to Huggy.

"Let's go!"

"Go? Where do you want to go, Danni? We can talk here." Starsky turned to walk back to the table they had been sitting out.

"You...you really expect me to sit here, in this dump, dressed like this? Do you have ANY idea what this dress cost? Of course you don't! I see you still wear those disgusting, ripped jeans. Honestly, David, when are you going to grow up?"

"Miss, I'm Huggy, and this is MY bar. And if you don't like it, you are more than welcome to..."

"Huggy!" Hutch stepped in. He knew if Huggy insulted Danni it could turn into a full-blown brawl.

"Danni, this is a very nice place, run by a very good friend of ours. Why don't you come join us at our booth and we can..."

"Mister Hutchinson, who asked for your opinion? David, let's go. We have to talk about Michael."

Starsky saw both Hutch and Huggy preparing to launch into the fray and quickly decided retreat was the better course.

"Guys, I do need to talk to Danni. Hutch, I'll call you later. Huggy your Special was delicious. I hope they'll be a fixture on your menu." He nodded at them, tossed the Torino keys to Hutch, and turned back to Danni. "Let's go talk."

Danni had already turned and was almost out of the door.

Starsky followed. He wanted to stay, but he was a dad now, and he had to do what was right for his son.

Starsky followed her out to her car. She stood there holding her keys out to him. Starsky paused then took them. It was a brand new black sedan. He got in and started the car. "Where too?"

"How about the boardwalk. We can talk at that fish place you always took me too. Lobster sounds good."

"You haven't changed much, have you?" Starsky said under his breath.

She laughed. "Neither have you. Still cheap I am sure."

"Danni, I didn't come with you to fight. I thought we were going to talk about Michael?"

Danni took a deep breath. "Yes we are. David, I didn't come here to wreck your life. I came here to tell you you had a son because I thought you would want to know that."

Starsky held his tongue. When they got there and were at their table, Danni ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. Starsky was not the type to let a girl pay for the meal when he dated, this was no different. He ordered something small.

"No lobster?"

"I just ate at Huggys."

"Junk I am sure."

"Look, Danni, you know Huggy is a friend. Stop trying to make me fight with you. I was done doing that when we broke up."

"As you wish...always about you..."

Starsky wanted to get up and leave and he would have if it weren't for his son. "I want to see him. I want to spend time with him. Maybe we can meet at a park or something."

"That would be fine."

"That guy you married...uh...he didn't adopt him or anything?"

Danni laughed. "That's a laugh. No. He said he didn't want that kind of responsibility. But he is good to him. Michael has the best of everything. He won't allow him to have anything that is not top of the line. I won't either."

Starsky sighed. "There is more to raising a child then buying him fancy clothes and toys. Does he love Michael?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course he loves him. He wouldn't do all this if he didn't."

"So you broke up with him?"

"Yes. Enough of my life. So when do you want to meet with Michael?"

"I'm off in a couple days. How about Saturday morning at that park we use to go to all the time?"

"That's fine."

The rest of the time they spent was mostly in slience. When the waiter brought the bill, Starsky took it from him. He paid the man and they both got up. Starsky didn't really talk in the car, either. He asked to be dropped off at Huggy's even though he knew Hutch would probably be gone. He was slightly surprised when he saw his car there.

Starsky walked in the darkened bar and heard his partner laughing. He walked toward the pool tables and saw Hutch chalking up.

"Man, Huggy is my name, winning all your money is my game!"

"You going to try to beat me again? I'm going to own your bar soon."

Simmons was sitting behind them with a new detective. They laughed right along with Hutch.

Hutch looked up when he saw Starsky. "Hey! You're just in time to win a bar!"

"Does the burritos come with it?" Starsky laughed.

"Gentlemen, Huggy don't have to put up with your insults. Hutch, you can pay your tab with what I owe you..." He turned and strutted away. The crowd all roared with laughter.

Starsky walked to a booth.

Hutch handed his cue to Simmons and went to the bar for two beers.

"Is he going to be okay?" Huggy filled two glasses. "He looks like he lost his puppy. And what's she doing back in town?"

"She told Starsky he has a three year old son."

Huggy was shocked. "I would ask how he's taking it, but I see it."

"Hug, he wants to see him. He wants his son."

"That's our boy. Tough as nails, but a big softie under it all."

Hutch smiled. "My softie." He took the glasses and walked to the booth.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. What happened?"

"Other than her telling me what how I can’t 'afford' him? How he has the 'best' of everything? Not that I'm a good person, it was like, you don't have the money to be a good dad. I'm gonna prove her wrong, Hutch."

Hutch smiled and touched his lover's hand. "I know you are. Did she say when you're going to get to see him?"

"Saturday morning at the park up near the station. Hutch? What if I'm not good enough for him? What if he's used to all the stuff like she said and just..."

"Stop it. You haven't met him yet and already you have him hating you. He's three. He's going to love you, wait and see. He will love you, I guarantee it."

Starsky nodded and smiled. "Okay, how are we going to spend our time the next couple days? I really don't feel much like pool anymore. Why don't we get out of here?"

They went back to Hutch's. Starsky figured Danni wouldn't go there.

"Beer?"

"No. Think I had enough at Huggy's. Hutch..."

"What, babe?"

"I don't know what to do."

"About?"

"Anything. Danni. Michael. You." Starsky looked away from Hutch.

"First, Danni is history. You don't owe HER anything. Don't let her get to you. If she tries to keep Michael from you, we'll get you a good lawyer and you can sue her for at least shared custody. Michael...he'll meet you Saturday. He's gonna love you, Starsk. And as for me? I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You know I'll always be here for you. I love you. None of this is gonna change that."

Hutch put his hand on Starsky's shoulder, turned him around and pulled him into a hug.

"Nothing will ever change that, Starsk. Not after all this time. Not with the way I love you."

He leaned in to kiss Starsky, but his partner pulled back. Hutch didn't say anything but looked his questions at Starsky.

"Sorry, Hutch...I don't know what to do. If Danni finds out about us...she could take Michael away and never let me be in his life. And I don't know many judges that would fight for a gay man's rights to have his son with him."

"It sucks, Starsky. I understand what you are saying. Maybe someday society will accept people like us."

"You always have been a dreamer, Hutch. You always try to see the good." Starsky turned and sank onto the couch. "Oh, man. I don't know what to do here. I love you. You know that, right?" At Hutch's smile and nod, Starsky continued. "I want to be with you. I want to make love to you...right now...but I'm scared."

"Hey...hey, Starsk. Loving you is about more than the sex. It's about YOU. I want to hold you close and make love with you too. For now, we need to look at the bigger picture. We need to make sure Michael gets to spend time with you. And make sure Danni doesn't have anything she can hold over you." Hutch nodded at Starsky. "We're in this together. No matter what it takes. Okay, buddy?"

"I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, Hutch, but I'm glad I did it."

"So am I, Starsky, so am I."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"I think there's a Dodgers game on. Want to watch it?"

"Yeah. Maybe that will take my mind off all of this."

Hutch turned on the tv, then walked to the kitchen and brought glasses of tea and a bowl of potato chips back. They settled on the couch, close, but not touching, and watched the game.

Each was lost in their own thoughts.

Each was miserable over the situation.

Friday night, Hutch spent the night with Starsky. Even though both men weren't in much of the mood to make love, they did spend the night in each other's arms.

The next morning, Hutch was up early making Starsky breakfast. He watched Starsky come out of the room twice, both times dressed differently. One time, all dressed up. He turned almost immediately and walked back into the room. He came out with a nice pair of jeans on and a blue shirt. He looked down and was about to turn and go back. Hutch stopped him.

"That looks great, Starsk. Nice and casual, but not sloppy." He smiled at his nervous partner. He then went over to him and pulled him into his arms. "He's going to love you no matter what you wear."

"Um, I guess I better go. I really wish you could be with me."

"One of these days. Now go. You don't want to be late."

When Starsky got to the park he looked around. Danni wasn't there. He glanced at his watch and looked around again.

"Dave?"

Starsky turned and there was Danni, holding Michael's hand. There was no doubt the baby was his. Dark curly hair surrounding a cherubic face with sky blue eyes. Starsky was speechless.

"Meet Michael. Michael? This is...your Daddy...your real one."

"I...uh...don't think he would understand that..."

"He's smart, Dave."

"He looks smart." Starsky smiled. He stooped down. "Hey? My name is...uh...I'm...you want to play?" The little boy looked confused. He stared at Starsky as he spoke. Starsky pointed to the playground. "You want to swing?" The little boy looked over and then back at Starsky. His face lit up and he smiled as he slowly walked to him. Starsky's heart melted when the little hand touched his. He led Michael to the play equipment as Danni sat on the bench and watched.

Two hours later Starsky was running and playing tag with Michael chasing him and laughing. An ice cream truck went past and Starsky picked up Michael and got him an ice cream without even asking if he could. He was totally at ease with Michael and was already thinking about what they would do next time. Finally Danni walked over.

"It's almost time for me to be getting back to my mom’s for lunch."

"Uh, maybe next time you can drop him off with me and I can feed him lunch?"

Danni thought about it. "You're going to just be at your place?"

"Yes."

"No stripper girlfriends over while he is there..."

"Danni? When did I do that when we were together?" Starsky held his tone.

"Okay. How about tomorrow at noon. I have some business I have to take care of and my mom has plans. This will be good for all of us. Where do you live?" Danni pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She handed it to Starsky to write his address down.

"Uh, Hutch might stop by." Starsky waited for the fallout, but to his surprise there was none.

"That's fine. Just don't take him anywhere. Keep him there."

"I don't have any plans to go anywhere, but even if...he stopped. I'm not planning on it."

"Fine. I will be there at around noon." With that she held her hand out. "Come along, Michael." Michael looked at her and then at Starsky and started to cry.

"Hey, little man." Starsky picked him up. "I'm gonna see you tomorrow! Then we are going to play more, okay? You go with Mommy right now, and tomorrow she is going to drop you off and we are going to play again." Michael seemed to calm down. Starsky handed him to Danni. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Starsky waved as she walked away. Michael watched Starsky as they walked away. Then, his small hand came up and waved back. Starsky didn't know how he got to Hutch's but, he did. It was like he floated there. He got to the door and knocked as he opened it. He could hear classical music playing from the greenhouse. Starsky hung his jacket up and walked to the kitchen for a beer. He went out to where he could hear Hutch humming and talking low to his plants as he watered them. He turned when he heard Starsky at the door.

Hutch assessed Starsky's demeanor, which was good. He smiled. "Good day?"

"The best."

"You'll have to tell me all about it." Hutch sat on the bench and put the watering can down. He patted the seat. "By the look on your face, I would say it went incredibly well." Hutch leaned over and kissed him.

"Oh, Hutch. You have no idea."

Hutch was thrilled that Starsky's meeting with his son had gone well.

But when he had leaned in to kiss Starsky, his lover had pulled back and started talking about Michael again.

'Hutch, get a grip! Micheal is a three year old. It's crazy to be jealous of a baby.' Hutch admonished himself. But it still was a stab to his heart. He wished he knew what Danni's intentions were. He couldn't believe after three years, she only wanted Michael to meet his father. Danni didn't do the right thing...she did what was best for her.

"What did you and Michael do?"

"I pushed him on the swings. And we rode the merry-go-round. They had a small slide there, so I helped him climb up, then guided him down it.

"Hutch! You should have seen his face light up! He smiled so big...and his smile is just like mine! Crooked. Like mine!"

Hutch started to say something, but Starsky stood up and began walking animatedly around the green house.

"He talks! Maybe not a lot and not big words, but he talks! He held my hand when we walked. And his laugh...God, Hutch, his laugh went straight to my heart! Damn! Oh, I gotta stop cussing!

"Danni sat on this bench and watched us. She let it be time for Michael and me. She was great about it.

"OH! An ice cream truck went by, so I bought him a small cone. He loved it! I bought one for Danni and one for me. We sat on the bench and ate it. It was like being a real family, Hutch!"

Starsky had his back turned to Hutch, so he didn't see Hutch's face go white, or his flinch.

"Danni's gonna come over to my place on Sunday. I think I'll order pizza. I know Danni won't like that, but I'm sure Michael will love it. Because he IS my son!

"Hutch! I have a son!! He has dark curly hair and blue eyes just like mine! Man, I never thought my dream of having a family, a kid, would ever come true. But it has, Hutch! It HAS!"

Pasting a smile on his face, Hutch pushed down his hurt.

"It's great, Starsky! I'm really happy for you. I know how much you wanted a son. How much you wanted to be a father. And now you are! I'm sure it's the best feeling in the world."

"It is, Hutch! It's better than anything I have ever felt in my life!"

Hutch wasn't sure how much longer he could pretend to be happy. Part of him was happy that Starsky had a son. But a bigger part of him was hurting. He'd lose his best friend, his lover. He'd be replaced by Danni and Michael.

Worse...he would probably even lose Starsky as his partner. Danni would convince Starsky to quit the force. She'd tell him he had to have a safer job...because of Michael.

The phone rang and Hutch answered.

"Hello."

"Hello, Ken. Is Starsky there? I need to talk to him."

"Starsk, it's for you. It's Danni."

Hutch moved a couple of steps away.

"Danni! Thanks again for today. For letting me spend time with Michael. It was the best! Did you need something? I was telling Hutch all about...what? Oh. Yeah. I'll be right there!" Starsky hung up the receiver.

"I gotta go buddy. Michael is crying, asking for 'Daddy'! He's asking for me, Hutch!"

"You better go then, Starsk."

Starsky was out the door before Hutch finished talking. He didn't even tell Hutch goodbye, just left him standing in the middle of his living room, staring at the door.

Hutch turned and slowly walked back to the greenhouse which felt much too lonely...too empty.

Walking back to the kitchen, he poured himself a tall glass of whiskey, downed half of it, and refilled it.

He went to the living room and sat on the couch, taking his glass and the bottle with him.

Starsky had told Hutch that he would have Michael all the next day, so their plans to go out would have to change.

"And so it begins."

******

"David, I have business today. I left him with my mom. He settled down. I will have him at your place at noon tomorrow."

"Why was he crying?"

"Kids cry."

"He was really crying, Danni."

"I really have to go. I need to make a few calls."

With that, Danni hung up. Starsky sat thinking about Michael. He got up and went over to the coffee pot. He rinsed it out and made a fresh pot.

The rest of the afternoon was spent vacuuming and child proofing his tables and living area. When he had all the breakables put safely up, he decided to dust. As he was doing that, he came across a picture of Hutch and himself. Hutch had him pulled close and Starsky reflected on that day. It was about three weeks after they had first made love.

All of a sudden, Starsky thought of something. How could he be so cruel...He thought back to that morning of telling Hutch all about his time with Michael. Then he remembered telling him about the ice cream and sitting on the bench with Danni and them all being 'a real family'. Hutch's face was pale...he thought it was the lighting at first, but he hadn’t been paying attention with all the excitement. Starsky also thought about how distant he’d been with Hutch, he barely kissed him the past few days and pulled away a couple of times when Hutch tried to get close. "Oh no...Hutch." Starsky grabbed his jacket and left, heading over to Hutch's place.

Starsky didn't bother to knock. He walked in and looked around and heard music coming from the greenhouse. Starsky glanced in the bedroom, and Hutch was not in there. He made his way out to where he knew Hutch was. Starsky stood at the greenhouse door. He saw his partner with a glass in his hand, and a whiskey bottle on the table next to him.

"Hutch?"

"Thought you would be with Danni."

Starsky sighed. He walked over and took the glass from Hutch. After setting it on the table, he sat next to him. "I didn't go. She said he quit crying. Hutch, I was jerk to you and I'm sorry. It's just everything happened so fast." Starsky pulled Hutch close and kissed him. "I might have a son, but I will never be with her. Ever. Got that?"

"I was never so scared, Starsk. When you said that about being a family...all I could think about was, I was losing you, just like that. I didn't even think about the baby. Just me losing you...losing us. Am I that selfish of a person?"

"You're not selfish, babe. I want what you want and right now, I want you." Starsky started kissing Hutch. He trailed the kisses to his neck and sucked. Hutch moaned as Starsky slid his hand down to Hutch's groin and cupped it, squeezing and rubbing the growing erection. "Let's take this party to the bedroom."

Hutch nodded and let Starsky lead him. He gasped when Starsky sucked on a nipple. He held Starsky's head there and cried out when he got bit. He was enjoying being manhandled and then his pants went to the floor, with Starsky in front of him, taking him down his throat.

"Starsk!" He moaned and guided Starsky's head as it bobbed up and down. Starsky moved Hutch's legs apart and that was when Hutch felt a finger go inside him. "Oh...God....I can't...I need...." Another finger entered and pushed up into him. "I'm going to fall...." Hutch didn't know how long he was going to last. The fingers were rubbing his prostate and Hutch felt as though he was going to pass out from all the pleasure he was receiving. The orgasm hit and he thought the tip of his penis blew off. He screamed as he came...over and over...Starsky's fingers were hitting the spot that was prolonging the orgasm and Hutch found himself not being able to stand anymore.

Starsky let the flaccid cock fall out of his mouth. He gently pulled his fingers out, and guided Hutch backwards a step to the bed. Starsky stripped and was between Hutch's legs. He grabbed the tube of lube and leaned forward and kissed his lover. Hutch was still out of it. Starsky got up on his knees and pulled Hutch's legs over his thighs. His own cock was hard and leaking. He was almost afraid to touch it for fear he would come at that moment.

He squirted the cool gel onto His cock and rubbed it in. Then he took his finger and gently opened Hutch up a little more. When he slid into him, Hutch moaned. Starsky placed Hutch's legs over his shoulders and pulled out a little. He then pushed into him and started to maneuver his ass up to where he had better access. It was then he started to pound into him. "Look...at...me."

Hutch could barely open his eyes. He grabbed Starsky's thighs as he hit that sweet spot over and over. He looked into Starsky's eyes as he leaned in and got into his face.

"I'm gonna fuck you to the floor, Blondie. I'm gonna fuck you hard so you see just how much I love you, you got that? I will never leave you, if that is what you were thinking earlier. I suggest you hold on now because I'm going to love you hard just so you don't forget." Starsky kissed him and then started to do just that.

Hutch felt another orgasm building. He didn't think he could take another one. That was when Starsky shoved deep inside and screamed out Hutch's name as he hit Hutch's prostate dead on. Hutch moaned as he came in ribbons onto his stomach. Not as much as before, but still hard enough to wreck him.

Starsky pulled out and rolled off Hutch. Both men didn't even bother to clean up. They fell fast asleep almost immediately in each other's arms.

After they showered the next morning. Hutch made breakfast and then they were heading over to Starsky's place, when the phone rang. It was Danni saying she was running late and had to bring him to Hutch's and she would leave the seat for him there.

Starsky agreed and soon she was knocking on the door. Hutch felt tension in his stomach. Starsky opened the door and he could hear Michael laughing. Danni didn't even bother to come in or say goodbye to Michael, she just left.

"Hutch? Meet Michael." Starsky stood there with a proud smile on his face.

Hutch walked over to the door. He looked down the stairs in time to see the door at the bottom swing shut.

"Hello, Michael. I'm 'Hutch'. I...work with your father. Come on in."

He stepped back so Starsk and his son could enter. Looking his question at Starsky, he saw his partner shrug.

He studied the young child. "Wow. He looks just like you did in the pictures your mom showed me!" There was no doubt in Hutch's mind that this was Starsky's son.

While Starsky had child-proofed his place, Hutch hadn't had a clue that he would have a toddler in HIS place. Hearing the sound of guitar strings, Hutch quickly looked where his guitar was leaning against the wall. Michael was about to pick it up so he could make more noise.

Starsky quickly moved to his son and removed the guitar for his hands. He handed it to Hutch. "Sorry. Maybe that and any other non-child-friendly items should go in the bedroom?" He gave Hutch a sickly smile.

While Hutch did a quick rescue of items it would be better for Michael not to touch, including his gun harness and gun, into the bedroom, Starsky picked up his son and sat with him on the couch after turning on the television. He tuned it to a cartoon and stood when Michael started giggling and clapping.

"Sorry, buddy. I had no idea she was going to do this."

"She seems to still be a bit...scatterbrained." 'Flakey' had been the first word Hutch had thought of, but he didn't want to make Starsky angry.

"I noticed. I'm sure there's a good reason for it. When I've seen her with Michael, she's been very protective. She loves him with all of her heart, Hutch. I think it's just a difficult time for her."

"It's okay, buddy. I understand. Do you think she fed him breakfast?"

"Don't know. Hey, Michael, did you have breakfast? Are you hungry?"

At the word 'breakfast', Michael sat back and stopped watching the cartoon. He looked at the two men and his eyes got big. He put his hands on the top of his legs.

"Are you hungry, son?"

Michael slowly nodded that he was hungry.

"I'll go make him a bowl of oatmeal. Might as well fix three bowls."

As Hutch walked to the kitchen, Starsky went to the couch, picked up Michael, and sat, with his son on his lap. He noticed that Michael seemed to have stiffened up.

"You okay, buddy? It's okay if you are hungry. Hutch and I haven’t had breakfast yet either. So we can all eat together. Okay?"

"Okay." Michael leaned back against Starsky's chest and turned his attention back to the television.

"Come and get it!" Hutch called from the kitchen.

Starsky picked up his son, turned off the television, and headed for the table in the kitchen.

"Mmmm. Smells great in here."

"I put some cinnamon, brown sugar, and a bit of vanilla in it. That's how my mom made if for me when I was Michael's age." Hutch turned to the refrigerator and got out the milk. He filled three glasses, set them on the table, and took his seat on the other side of Michael.

"Careful, Michael, it's still a bit warm. Blow on the spoonful to cool it down."

They both watched him with the first few bites. Satisfied that he was being careful of the heat, they began to eat their own breakfasts.

When the phone rang, Hutch got up to answer it. He was surprised it was Danni.

"I need to talk to, Dave, Ken."

Hutch took the phone to the table and handed the handset to Starsky. "Danni?"

Starsky covered the mouthpiece and looked up at Hutch. "I gave her the number...in case."

Hutch nodded.

"What's up, Danni? What time are you going to pick up Michael?"

"I'm sorry, Dave, but I have to go back to Maine for a couple of days. Business. I know you'll take good care of your son."

Before Starsky could say anything, Danni had hung up.

"Danni has to go back to Maine for a couple of days. Looks like it's just us men for the next couple of days!" Starsky tossed an apologetic look at his lover.

"More time for us to do men-stuff!"

Michael ate while the guys talked about what they planned to do for the rest of the day. Hutch remembered hearing something about a small carnival set up in town for the weekend. "I saw they had quite a few little kiddy rides. Maybe Michael would enjoy that."

"So would I!" Starsky grinned at Hutch.

"Starsk, you're too big for those rides!"

Hutch had to laugh at the disappointed look on Starsky's face.

Michael watched the two laughing men. He started to clap his hands. He hit his bowl that still had oatmeal in it and it slid off the table and into his lap.

Both men jumped up. Hutch grabbed the bowl and tried to swipe any oatmeal off Michael.

"Take him to the bathroom, Starsk! It's still kinda warm. Make sure he didn't get burned!"

Starsky scooped up his son who was stiff. No sound. No crying. Starsky thought that was odd, but he was focused on getting the hot oatmeal off Michael, who stood quietly as Starsky stripped the clothes off and turned the water to a warm setting.

When Starsky turned back to Michael, he looked down his body, looking for pink or red areas. He didn't see anything that looked like a burn. But as his eyes traveled down Michael's body, his gut clenched and he felt like he was going to throw up.

Hutch came running into the bathroom with a bottle of burn cream in his hands. "Is he okay, Star..."

Hutch gasped.

"Starsk?"

Hutch dropped to his knees on the floor beside Michael, who stood there, unmoving. "Michael? What happened here?"

But the child didn't answer. Just stared at the floor.

"Son...can you tell daddy what made those marks on you? It's okay. You are not in trouble. Daddy just wants to know."

"I...I took all the toilet paper."

"What do you mean?"

Michale mimiced pulling toilet paper off the roll.

"And Dan...Mommy hit you?

Michael nodded 'yes'.

"It's okay, son. No one is angry at you. We were worried you might have burned yourself."

Hutch picked Michael up and sat him on the side of the tub. He looked at the leg but saw no pink or read areas either.

But something...something wasn't right.

"Starsk? Stay calm."

"What, Hutch? What?!"

"It looks like he's had surgery on his leg sometime in the past."

Starsky looked where Hutch indicated.

"Son...what happened here?" He carefully touched the fading scar.

Michael's eyes went wide.

"It's alright, Michael. You are not in trouble. Daddy just wants to know. It's okay. I'm not mad. Can you tell me?"

Michael looked at both men. He looked down.

"Mommy pushed me."

"Pushed you down?"

"Through the door."

"A door like this one?" Hutch pointed to the bathroom door.

Nodding 'no', Michael said, "It was glass. I got an owwie."

Both men sucked in breaths.

Starsky bit his lips as tears filled his eyes.

"Oh, Michael. I bet that hurt a lot." Hutch nodded for Starsky to leave and get himself under control. "You must have been scared. But you were very brave to let the doctor fix it."

"Mommy held me down."

Grabbing a towel, Hutch wrapped it around the shaking boy. He picked him up and began to rock him in his arms.

When Michael realized he was safe, he closed his eyes and was soon soundly sleeping.

Hutch carried him to the living room and carefully laid him on the couch. He pulled the blanket off the back and covered him.

Starsky walked in from the greenhouse and went to stand beside Hutch who filled him in on what his son had said.

Hutch urged Starsky into the kitchen.

"I'll kill her!"

"Starsk! No...but, maybe it's time we call back to Maine and do some digging?"

"Hutch, she never told me where she lives. I don't know where to start!"

"We start with her mom. Do you know where she lives?"

"Yeah, I do." Starsky started toward the door.

"Hold up, buddy. You're not going by yourself. So I think we need to call Huggy to babysit."

Starsky picked up the phone and dialed.

The automated voice of the operator came on..."I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is not in service...." Starsky slammed the phone down, then winced when he saw Michael stir.

"Let me guess...the phone is disconnected?"

"What the hell is going on, Hutch?" Starsky looked at the boy with concern. He walked over and pulled the blanket from his legs. Just under the diaper on the side was a mark he’d never seen before. It had been there for a while from the looks of it. "Maybe we need to get him checked out."

"I was thinking that. I'll call Dr Garret and then we'll contact Dobey. Something is not right here and we need to find out what."

Starsky picked up the phone and pulled his wallet out. He pulled a piece of paper from it and dialed. The phone rang and finally an answering machine picked up. "I can't come to the phone, but leave a message!" He put the phone down and went to the duffle bag Danni left. He pulled out an outfit.

Hutch saw Starsky start to get up, then stop and then reach in and pull another piece of clothing out, and another...He had a puzzled look on his face as he held the hand full of clothes.

"What's the matter?"

"All of these clothes have tags on them...even the shoes that are in here. It's like she went out and bought him a wardrobe. He don't have one thing in there without a tag."

"Maybe she decided to shop...that is what you said she does."

"When I went places, even to stay with my mom in New York, my Aunt Rosie would pack my bag. Most of my things were my regular clothes that I wore. But she would buy me a couple new shirts or pants, and Mrs. Blaine would buy me a shirt or two for the trip, but not a whole wardrobe. Look, right down to the socks. They're still in the package!"

"Starsk, I can see wheels turning in that head of yours. Right now, let's get him checked out, then we can ask her why she didn't bring his clothes from Maine, okay?"

Starsky agreed and he got Michael dressed without waking him. Starsky looked at him and ran his hand over the curls on his head. When he looked up, Hutch was standing there with a slight smile on his face. "What?"

"Nothing. Just watching you grow up."

"He's great, isn't he?"

"He sure is. So is his dad."

Starsky grinned and picked Michael up.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr Garret met them. He led them into the examination room and the nurse had a toy for him. While he was examined, Hutch could see Starsky was nervous. He rocked from one foot to the other.

"Well, Doc? How does he look?"

"From what you told me over the phone, we don't know a lot of history so I am going to get some X-rays and then do some blood work. It looks like he had a fracture but, there was no setting of it."

"What are you saying?" Starsky felt his stomach turn.

"He was hurt, but never treated. I'll know more after we X ray it."

After an hour, Dr Garret came back in.

"Just as I thought. The bone has healed wrong. It was never set back in place to heal right, he will need surgery."

"He's so little. I...I have to get in touch with Danni...she has the say wether..."

"Detective Starsky, I've known you for years and you know as well as I, this is a abuse case. I have to report this, so it's your say now. I can do this right now and he can be here for a couple days or even a week to make sure he is healing."

Hutch saw Starsky was having a hard time. "Starsk? While he is here, we can do what we have to do to find her and figure out what is going on. They're going to need us. That way we can help and Michael will be safe." Starsky finally nodded. "Okay." Hutch squeezed Starsky's shoulder.

Starsky and Hutch both stayed with Michael until they took him to the operating room. The operation was a success and Michael was soon in a room just off the nurse’s station. Starsky stayed the night. Hutch went to his captain's house because he was no longer working that day. He explained what was happening.

"You can't get in touch with the mother??"

"We tried, she's not calling us back. Her mother’s phone has been disconnected."

"Do you know anything else about this kid? How do you know it's really Starsky's?"

"Cap'n...when you see him, you will know why we know." Hutch chuckled.

"I hate to see you get in the middle of this. This is pretty tricky being that she is from Maine. We can't really do anything here. Their home is there."

Hutch reported what Dobey told him to Starsky. Starsky motioned him to the hall.

"I'm not letting her have him!" Starsky tried to whisper. "You hear me?! She's not laying a finger on him, anymore!"

"Starsk, I know...but...in order for her to be investigated, she has to be here..."

"Call Mary! She knows these things! He can stay with me while all this is going on..."

Hutch knew better than to argue with Starsky right now. He would find out and relay to Starsky how they are going to go about it.

Starsky sat by the crib and watched Michael sleep. A few tears ran down his cheeks. He wiped them with one hand, the other was through the bars holding onto the little hand.

Hutch stood by the door watching. He hated seeing Starsky upset, but, he did feel good about Michael finally being in a safe place where nobody would ever hurt him.

Hutch sat with Starsky and Michael. He was worried about Starsky. He could tell his partner's anger was growing. It was only a matter of time before Starsky would erupt.

"Starsk, why don't you go out to the waiting room and call Dobey? See if he's got any news. Maybe they've tracked Danni down. I'll stay right here with Michael and hold his hand. If he wakes up, promise I'll come get you right away."

It took more persuasion, but Hutch was finally able to get Starsky to leave the room.

"You'll come get me..."

"I promised, Starsky. And I've never broken a promise I've given you. I'll watch him like he's my son too."

Starsky finally nodded and walked out to the waiting room.

Sitting in the chair his lover had abandoned, Hutch reached through the bars and took Michael's small hand in his.

"You're gonna be fine, Michael. I promise. Your dad and I are going to find Danni and get to the bottom of who hurt you. We will both protect you from now on. We won't let anyone else hurt you. That's a heart-promise, Michael. And a heart-promise is the strongest promise a person can make. You're safe now."

Doctor Garret stepped into the room. Hutch stepped away as the doctor put the side of the bed down and quickly assessed the dressing and Michael's vital signs.

"Doctor?"

"So far everything looks good. No bleeding. His vitals are stable. Any progress on finding his mother? Or who did this to him?"

"Not yet. Starsky's calling Dobey for an update now. Doctor Garret, is Michael going to be okay? Will he have a limp or trouble walking after this?"

"He shouldn't. I was able to align the bones easily. He might have some arthritic pain when he's in his eighties, but until then, he should be pain free." Doctor Garret smiled at Hutch.

"Thanks, Doc. I'll be sure to tell Starsky that."

"There is one thing, Hutch. About his blood work..."

Starsky came back in the room, interrupting what Garret had been about to say.

Garret looked at Hutch and shook his head.

"Doctor?" Hutch had stood so Starsky could sit back down.

Starsky looked up. "Everything okay?" He looked from Hutch to Garret.

"He's doing great, Starsky. I don't foresee any problems with his leg healing. He'll be good as new."

Hutch nodded at Garret who obviously didn't want to say anything to Starsky right now. But he WOULD find out what was up with the blood test results.

Doctor Garret put the side of the bed back up and left. "I'll be by later to check him again. If he wakes up, let the nurses know."

"Anything new, Starsk?"

"They haven't found her yet. Maine police have been informed. Dobey sent out an APB on her. And he called the police chief in the town Danni said she'd been living in. I called Huggy. None of his guys has any information, but they will keep their ears open. What did Doctor Garret have to say?"

"He said the surgery was a success. He said Michael shouldn't have any pain until he's an old man." Hutch smiled when he saw his partner relax.

"It's just that he's so little. To have to go through this..."

Stepping behind Starsky, Hutch began to massage his tense shoulders. "He's going to be fine, love. He's got both of us on his side. We'll keep him safe."

"I love you, Hutch."

"Not as much as I love you."

They shared a quick kiss and settled in their chairs, waiting for news.

Starsky woke with a start. Michael was crying. He stood up and realized Hutch was not in the room.

"Hey....shh...Daddy’s here, buddy. Shh..." Starsky pressed the nurse’s button and as quick as he pressed it the evening nurse walked in. "He was crying. Is he in pain? Do you have something for him...I mean, can he have that?"

The nurse smiled. "Now you know he can, Detective Starsky." She checked his chart and left the room. When she got back she administered the pain medicine and took his vitals. After checking to make sure the bandages were in place, she looked at Starsky. "The doctor said he can have a little to eat in a bit. If he eats, that is fine. If he doesn't want any, just let him rest. He will get his appetite back soon enough. Also, there will be a Physical Therapist coming in the morning to talk to you."

Starsky nodded and when she left, he walked back over to the bed. Michael was already getting very sleepy, and finally, he closed his eyes. Starsky sat back down and held his little hand. He was so angry, and had to get out and run or punch a punching bag, anything but have to contend with what was going on in his head right now.

How could she do such a thing to this little boy...his boy. If she would have told him four years ago that he had a son, he would have made sure Michael was safe. He glanced over at the big stuffed bear he purchased for him, and the little plastic toy that sang the ABC's. Hutch and him talked about getting him a fishing pole and taking him to the cabin.

A family. They would be a real family. Even Kiko and Joey would love Michael and get along great with him, showing him the ropes. Starsky reached his other hand through the side and cupped his hand. "Hey, big guy?" Starsky half whispered. "Hutch, you, and me...we're going to be a real family. I want you with us in all the things we do. Maybe even get a house somewhere. Somewhere safe, so nobody can hurt you, ever again. We're gonna be real happy. Just think, you're own room...maybe even a house near the beach or something, so you can build big sandcastles. I can help. We can make a mote and make a drawbridge..." His voice trailed off. "I loved you ever since that first day we spent in the park. I'm gonna protect you, you wait and see. Nobody is gonna hurt you, ever."

Hutch stood at the door. A stray tear fell to the floor. He backed up and walked down the hall to a small waiting room. How was he going to tell Starsky about his conversation with Doctor Garret? Maybe the tests were wrong? Either way, now was not the time to bring it up. Hutch got himself together and walked towards the room. Starsky looked up as he came in.

"The nurse came in and gave him something for pain. He woke up crying. She said she is bringing some food for him in a little bit to see if he can eat any of it." Starsky shook his head and chuckled. "When he can really eat good, we are going to have to sneak food to him. I'm not having my boy eat hospital grub all the time. Oh, and the Physical Therapist will be in tomorrow morning, Hutch? Is everything okay? Where were you?"

"Everything is okay, buddy. I was getting a little fresh air. And I talked with Doctor Garret for a bit. He said everything is looking really good."

Hutch sat down in the chair beside Starsky. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done. He prayed Starsky would forgive him for the pain he was about to inflict.

"Hutch, I HAVE to get some rest. Do you think Michael will be okay here if we went home for a while...or to sleep? Overnight?"

A reprieve.

"Starsky, you've seen how the nurses are on this floor. They all love Michael. He'll be safe with them. And if he calls for you, they'll call us. You need some rest. And so do I. So, let's tell the nurses we are leaving and where they can reach us. A good night's sleep would do us both good."

They told the nurses where they would be and made sure they had the phone number.

Hutch put his arm around Starsky's shoulders and walked him down to the parking garage. Several times Starsky stopped, but Hutch wouldn't let him go back up to the room.

"He'll be fine, Starsk. They have a picture of Danni. If she shows up, they'll call the police right away. And call us."

They went to Hutch's place. He had Starsky sit on the couch and went in to grab two beers. Hutch walked back into the living room. He handed a beer to Starsky and sat beside him, pulling him close for a hug.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and the phone rang.

"Stay here. I'll get it, Starsk."

"Hello?"

"Hutch, one of my guys said he'd heard talk that Danni was still in Bay City. That's all I got, but everyone is looking. Want me to call Dobey with this?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Hug. We owe you. Call if..."

"I know the routine, Hutch. How's curly holding up?"

"Barely holding on, Huggy. This is...it's hard on both of us."

"I can dig it. Keep positive."

"Will do. Bye, Huggy."

Hutch filled in Starsky.

"We should be out there turning over the rocks, Hutch!" Starsky started to stand and stumbled.

"In the morning buddy. For now...let's go to bed."

Hutch helped Starsky up and they walked into the bedroom. Neither was up to having sex, but they cuddled each other and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Hutch was dreaming that the phone was ringing.

Starsky poked him. "Phone."

Leaning over, Hutch picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hutch, its Captain Dobey. You both need to come to the station right away."

Hutch knew something was wrong when his Captain used 'Captain Dobey'. "What's up, Captain?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you." Dobey lowered his voice. "I.A. wants to talk to both of you. Get in here."

"Okay, Cap. We'll be there."

He hung up and turned to Starsky. He realized the sun was up. They had both slept hard.

"Starsk, get up. We have to go down to the station. Dobey said IA needs to talk to us."

"Why? I want to go to the hospital."

"Dobey said, 'now'. Come on. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we get to the hospital."

They cleaned up and dressed quickly. Hutch had some bakery rolls in the kitchen and they each grabbed one and ate it on the way.

They walked into Dobey's office about twenty minutes later.

"Don't sit down. We're going to the Chief's office." Dobey led the way.

"This doesn't feel right, Hutch."

"I know. Whatever it is, we'll get through it, like always. Together."

They followed Dobey into the Chief's office.

"Sit down, Detectives."

Chief Barton didn't look happy.

They sat. Before they could even say anything, one of the IA investigators turned to Starsky, pointed his finger at him and said, "What are you doing with that young boy, Detective Starsky? Why did he have to go into the hospital for surgery? I've spoken to Doctor Garret, and he told me about the injury that looks like someone abused him. It will go much better for you, if you answer truthfully."

"What the hell are you trying to say?!" Starsky was up in his face.

Hutch pulled him away and made him sit down. "Look, I don't know what the hell you two are trying to insinuate, but He didn't abuse that child."

"How did you come about having this boy?"

"His name is Michael and he's my kid! My girlfriend...well, ex-girlfriend...she came back in town a few days ago and told me he was mine."

"You're trying to tell us after all this time, she just now told you that you had a kid? And you didn't question her at all about why it took so long..."

"I questioned her plenty! We broke up about four years ago. She said that is when she found out she was pregnant. She left and didn't tell me because she didn't want him to have a cop for dad."

Simonetti sneered. "And you believed that??"

"Hell yes I believed that! We broke up...all we did was argue so we broke up. She left and I didn't see her again until about four days ago. She said he was mine."

"Did you know about the abuse?"

"No. I found out when I was going to give him a bath."

"Did she tell you...?

"She left to go out of town." Starsky sighed. "She was going to let me have him for the day to get to know him. I was at Hutch's and she dropped him off. Later she called and said she would be out of town and would it be okay to keep him for a couple days. I said yes."

"She left a child with you, who just met you, for two days?"

"Yes! I don't know her reasons, all I know is, I am the dad and I said yes."

"How can you be so sure you are the father of the baby, Detective?"

"If you see him you will know he is mine. He looks just like me! Doctor Garret was going to do a test to see."

"What happened next after you found out she would be out of town."

"We made plans for the next couple of days. I called Cap'n Dobey and explained things to him and he gave me a few vacation days. He gave them to Hutch also. He was eating and spilled food all over himself. I took him in the bathroom to clean him up and that's when I saw the bruises. He was acting funny when he moved his leg, it was like shaking. That's when we called Doctor Garret and went to the hospital. I knew it was abuse, okay?! I knew something was wrong. That's why I had him checked out. Doctor Garret said he would notify Cap'n Dobey and then he told me about his bones and how he needed surgery right away. We couldn't find Danni. The number she gave me for her moms house was disconnected. I didn't have any other number."

Hutch could see Starsky was visibly upset. "We had people keeping their eyes and ears out on the street. We just found out late last night that she might be here in the city."

"Why didn't you call someone and tell..."

Hutch stood up, "Because Starsky was exhausted and could barely stand! I took him home to get some sleep. He's been at the hospital day and night since all of this happened! Also, we didn't know you were waiting here ready to crucify my partner for something that he didn't do. He is the best thing that could step into that little boy's life, and you act like he is the guilty one!"

"Hutchinson, stand down!" Dobey yelled. "Everyone needs to calm down! This isn't helping anything!"

Starsky stood up. "I'm done." He walked to the door.

Dryden called after him. "We're not done, Detective."

"Am I being arrested?"

"No."

"Then I'm done. I'll be out on the streets and then at the hospital if you need me." He walked out of the room.

Hutch stood there for a few seconds. "Captain? I want an officer outside Michael’s door. If she is in town, she will get wind he is there. I want to make sure he is guarded until we get there."

Dobey nodded and picked up the phone. "I'll let Garret know what's going on."

"Thanks." Hutch left the room and walked down the hall. Starsky was leaning against the wall near a window. "You okay?"

Starsky took a deep breath. "Yeah. Let's go. I want to get back to the hospital after we are done."

"Come on, let me drive." Hutch took the keys from Starsky and they headed into the city. They cruised all the seedy parts of town, talked to their snitches, and stopped by to see if Huggy had any news.

It was exhausting work.

"Hutch, I want to go to the hospital, make sure there's an officer there."

"Okay, babe." Hutch turned around and headed for the hospital. He was still trying to figure out how to tell Starsky he wasn't Michael's father. His gut was clenching. He knew Starsky would take it really hard.

They went to the hospital and up to Michael's room. Officer Adams was sitting by the door. He stood and greeted both men. "Everything's quiet. No one has tried to get into his room."

"Thanks, Adams. Appreciate you keeping an eye on my boy." Starsky walked on into the room to find Michael sleeping. A nurse was leaving as he walked in.

"Hello, Mister Starsky, Michael ate good. He played with the toys you bought him and went to sleep shortly after."

"Thank you."

Starsky stood by the bed, watching Michael sleeping. He felt himself tearing up looking at his son. 'God, my son...this is going to change my life forever.' He thought to himself.

Hutch joined Starsky. He put his hand on Starsky's shoulder and squeezed it. "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah. It's a lot to take in."

Hutch nodded. He couldn't make himself say anything. He was as choked up as Starsky. Only worse, because he knew Michael wasn't Starsky's son.

"Detectives? There's a phone call for you at the desk."

Starsky followed the nurse to the desk and picked up the phone.

"You guys need to come back to the station, Starsky. It's...important."

"What's up, Cap'n? Hutch and I are looking for Danni."

"I know. I can't tell you over the phone. Just get back here."

Hutch was standing by Starsky when he hung up the phone. "Dobey wants us back at the station...now."

"Let's go." Hutch swallowed hard. Something told him Starsky was about to find out the truth. "Maybe they found Danni."

They left the hospital and headed for the station.

Starsky was hoping they HAD found Danni.

Hutch was hoping Starsky would forgive him for not telling him the truth when he first found out about it.

Starsky paused at the squad room door.

Hutch came up to him and fought the urge to take him in his arms. "Look, I face them with you. It's not the first time Simonetti has come after us for something stupid. Dobey has our backs."

"It's not that. What if they want to take him away from us? What happens then?"

"Maybe they found Danni."

Starsky nodded and walked through the door. Four other detectives were talking and stopped when they walked in. Starsky paused and stared at them. They all either looked down or grabbed something to look busy.

Hutch knew Starsky was the main subject of their now very quiet conversation.

"Uh, Hutch?" Williams half ran to them. "Uh..."

Starsky opened the door and froze.

Hutch looked at Williams and was about to respond to him when he felt a cold chill come over him. He turned and saw Starsky standing in the door.

"Come in, Detective."

Starsky couldn't move. He tried to speak but words would not even form.

Hutch came up behind Starsky. He couldn't believe his eyes. Sitting in two chairs on the side of Dobey's desk, was a couple. The girl resembled Danni. If Hutch didn't know better, he would swear the man was Starsky's brother. Dark curly hair, blue eyes, Starsky's height. He had his arm around the woman, who was crying.

Dobey stood up. "This is Detectives Hutchinson and Starsky." The man got up and held his hand out. Hutch looked at it and then Dobey. "What's going on here, Captain?"

"You two need to sit down first." Dobey sat when they did. "This is Mister and Mrs Brockman. One year ago Mrs Brackman’s sister came to visit. A few nights later, she offered to watch their son, Michael, while they went out to dinner and a movie. When they got home, her sister and the boy were gone. The police had APB's out for them.

“About a month later a sheriff in Montana called them and said that someone brought a child into the ER there. They said his leg appeared to be broken. Somehow she left with the baby before she got medical care for him. Someone called the Sheriff of that county and told him that the woman that was in the picture they were passing around, tried to sell a child at a train station. She was also seen striking him. When she saw a security officer, she fled with the child."

Dobey kept his eyes on Starsky. He was beginning to worry. Starsky was pale and despondent. He had a file and opened it. He pulled out a photo.

Hutch watched in horror as he turned the picture to face both of them. It was Michael.

Starsky stood and took the picture in his hands. He looked at the couple, then Dobey.

"Captain? Can we go see our baby boy? Please?" The woman was crying. Her husband held her.

"Yes. We have two officers along with a counselor that will take you to the hospital."

Two officers, along with IA took the couple out to the hall where they met another woman.

"Starsky?"

Starsky stared at the photo, then dropped it. He was gone before Hutch could even say anything else.

"Hutchinson..."

"Later, Captain. I have to get to Starsky." Hutch ran out to the hall. Starsky was nowhere to be found. He took the stairs to the garage. Starsky had just got into his car. Hutch ran towards it as it sped off. "STARSKY!"

"Hutch!" It was Williams. "I tried to tell you guys."

Hutch was panicking.

"Come on. My car is over here. We'll find him."

Hutch jumped into Williams' car and they left the garage, turning to the right which was the direction Starsky had gone.

"Any idea where he might head to?"

"A few. But with Starsky, it's hard to tell. Thanks, Williams, for...everything."

"I knew it was going to hit Starsky hard. I'd hoped I could make it a little easier. But..."

"It's not your fault, Williams. Danni caused all this heartache. I hate the pain this is going to cause my partner, but I have to be glad for Michael's parents. I can't imagine what they've gone through. We have to find Starsky!"

They drove by the Pitts. Hutch ran in and filled Huggy in. As soon as Hutch left, Huggy was on the phone to his contacts.

Hutch picked up the radio mic and called to have Dobey put out an APB on the Torino.

"I should have done that right away!" Hutch hit his thigh with his fist.

"Hey, easy. Things happened pretty quick there. No way you could have known."

"Maybe. But I should have been closer to him. I could have grabbed him and..."

"And you might have gotten socked. Starsky was in pain. He needed to run and I don't think he would have let anything, or anyone, stop him."

"Pretty intuitive of you, Williams. You a shrink in your spare time?"

Williams laughed. "I majored in police work and minored in psychiatry. I thought it might help getting into the minds of criminals." He shrugged.

"Smart man. And you did peg Starsky. He likes to lick his wounds in private. I just hope we can track him down. He needs...we have to find him. Try driving by the docks off Carny Street. He likes to sit there and watch the surf come in."

But they didn't find Starsky there.

Nor did they find him at the toy store that sold toy train sets, his house, Hutch's house, or catch a glimpse of the Torino as they drove.

"Any other suggestions, Hutch?"

"I wish...but no. He can't have just disappeared!"

"Hutch...sometimes people do...disappear. They need to find somewhere they can think without anyone intruding. Somewhere private and quiet. Somewhere they feel safe."

"You're right. And you're smart. Why are you a junior detective?"

"I wanted to work up the ranks. There's so much to learn at each level. I...I hope at some time to teach at the Academy."

Hutch looked at his driver. "When you apply for that position, I would be honored to vouch for you and write a letter of recommendation, Williams."

Williams blushed. "Th...thank you, Hutch. That means a lot to me."

"We need more men like you. And I'm betting you can influence the kids joining to become officers. What you can teach them will make a difference in how they approach police work."

"Thanks, Hutch."

They continued to drive around the city in grids. But they caught no sign of the Torino or the hurting driver of it.

It was starting to get dark.

Hutch told Williams to drop him off at his place.

"We'll find him, Hutch. That car stands out. Someone will see it and call it in. If you need my help tomorrow, just ask."

"Thanks, Williams. You've helped keep me sane today. I appreciate all you've done."

"You and Starsky are the best detectives in Bay City. I'm glad I could help you in some small way."

"When this is over, if you want to come over sometime and pick our brains, let us know."

"Thank you, Hutch. I'd love that."

Hutch entered his place. It seemed like it had been forever since he and Starsky had been here. And Michael. Hutch was torn. He was happy the little boy was being reunited with his real parents...but he hated what this was doing to his lover.

"Starsk...where are you? Come home, babe. I-I need you. I'm scared for you. Don't be stupid...don't do something stupid...Come home, Starsk. Come home to me. Let me help you get through this."

Hutch sank down on the couch.

It was quiet in his house.

Too quiet.

Starsky drove through the gates of the cemetery and up the winding roads. Back in a very secluded part with mausoleums, Starsky pulled the car over and turned it off. He sat for a while, he didn't know how long, and he didn't care. When he got out of the car, he looked up at the name on the front of one of the mausoleums.

BLAIN.

Starsky walked toward it, remembering the day of the funeral. John was more than a friend, he was a father to Starsky. His dad, John...and now Michael...everyone he loves goes away. Out loud he said, "What happens if Hutch leaves, John? What happens then? What am I gonna do?" Everything came crashing down, and Starsky slid down the door of the crypt and cried into his knees. He calmed after a little bit, but kept his face hidden.

"He ain't going anywhere, Davey."

Starsky looked up in shock. "J...John?!" He stood up, but kept his back hard against the door.

John laughed. "I'm not a zombie, I'm not going to bite. Come here on the steps and sit with me." John walked over and sat down.

Starsky reluctantly followed and sat...about three feet from him on the edge. He couldn't stop staring at him.

"Don't look so surprised, son."

"Your a...here...uh...a gho..."

"Ghost?" John burst out laughing. "I always said you read way too much. Well, yeah...sort of. I prefer to be called a 'Spirit', but, Ghost is okay...but, you are the only one who can call me that. Deal?" John reached over and patted Starsky's leg.

Starsky looked down and put his hand where John's hand was.

"It's not the end of the world, Davey."

"Everyone left me. You left me...why? Why did you go?"

"That's a long story. You really want me to sit here and explain that to you? You should know it by heart."

"Yeah...I guess." Starsky looked down.

"I always thought something was wrong with that girl. You two never stopped fighting in that year or so you were dating her. Oh yeah, at first everything was great...but that didn't last long. Me and Maggie hardly ever fought, maybe argued. Not an all-out fight. But you know that too." He smiled.

Starsky looked around. He pinched the side of his leg and the sting went up it. "Uh, what...what are you doing here?"

"I heard what you said. What happens if Hutch leaves you? Well, hon, first, that is never going to happen. He loves you more than life itself. He is looking for you right now, you know? Now that right there..." John pointed to Starsky and then out in the air. "You two...that is a match made in heaven. I was thrilled when I saw you both together that day you came here to put flowers in that pot." He pointed to an empty metal vase by the door. "I saw the way you two were. Walking up arm in arm. That kiss...wow. Yep, he's not going anywhere. You're going to grow old together. hopefully by then the world will see things differently, but you are still going to have your asses." He chuckled.

At that point Starsky moved a little closer to John and smiled when he looked up. "I miss you, you know?"

John put his arm around Starsky, and Starsky started crying. "I miss you Davey. I miss our talks. I miss fishing with you and Hutch. I would say to tell Huggy hello, but, you know..."John gave a quirky smile and pointed to the building again. Starsky laughed and wiped his face. "That little boy was so lucky you and Hutch were there for him when nobody else was. You two take the word of that girl, and just accepted him in your home, just like that...well, that makes me so proud of you, Davey. Shows your Aunt and Uncle raised a fine man."

"You had a little bit to do with that. I think I spent my life over you and Maggie’s." Starsky smiled.

"You got yourself in enough trouble over there too." He laughed. "Remember when I taught you to box? I thought Maggie was going to commit murder that day. That was one of our 'disagreements'." Both men laughed. "But look at you. A tough street cop that nobody wants to mess with. I did good, if I do say so myself."

Starsky smiled, then sobered. "What am I gonna do, John. I feel like my heart got ripped out."

"Your heart’s still there, beating strong. And you have the one person in your life that loves you, and will through everything you go through. You can talk to him about anything." John paused. "Sometimes people do things to protect others, but they do it because they love you. Always remember that."

"I guess I scared Hutch. But I couldn't talk...I felt smothered when Dobey was telling me about Michael. I..." tears started to fall again. "The little time I spent with him, God I miss him already." Starsky wiped his face. He felt John’s arm go around him. He looked at him and leaned his head against his shoulder. "I miss you so much, John."

"Hey, shh...you know what? I think you need to pull yourself together." John pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "He handed it to Starsky. He heard a clink on the cement. One of John’s small metals attached to his dress uniform fell. Starsky picked it up and handed it to him. John grinned. "I remember when the Chief gave this to me. Oh well, Say la Vie." He laughed.

"You see, you can't dwell on the past, Davey. Live your future. You and Hutch have a great future too." He stood up and walked to the door, "You need to go. Hutch is worried sick about you. And as far as Michael? He will be in your life more than you know. Be happy for his parents and him. That will heal you."

Starsky looked down. His head shot back up and he was leaning against the door of the mausoleum again. He stood up and turned, looking through the bars. A dream. "You must be losing it, Starsky boy." He wiped his face. Then he looked at his surroundings. It was getting to be late afternoon. He needed...Hutch. He started to rush down the steps and a glimmer of the afternoon sun hit something and it shined in his face. Starsky reached down and picked it up. It was a pin...the same pin that fell off John's jacket. He glanced back at the door. "This is between you and me. Nobody would ever believe me anyway." He put the pin in his pocket and rushed to his car. He drove straight to Hutch's.

Hutch finally fell asleep, still on his couch. His dreams were filled with fractured images of Michael, Starsky, and himself. In some, they were a family. In some, Starsky left with Michael, afraid he'd lose him if people found out about him and Hutch. In some Hutch was an old man, living a solitary life, locked away from everyone.

He was crying in his dreams and in real life.

Starsky quietly opened to door to Hutch's place. He stepped inside and stood, listening for any sounds.

Then he heard it.

A moan. A sniffle. A soft cry of pain and distress.

He walked to the couch and saw Hutch lying there. He looked at Hutch's face and saw the tears running down his cheeks and the pain etched there.

"Oh, babe. I'm so sorry."

He walked around the couch and knelt beside the couch and gently reached out to wipe the tears from Hutch's face. He spoke quietly, "Hutch...hey love...wake up. I'm here. It's okay...wake up for me, babe."

Hutch heard Starsky's voice. He thought he was still dreaming until he felt a touch on his face. Opening his eyes, he couldn't believe Starsky was there in front of him.

"Starsk?"

"Yeah, it's me, Hutch."

"Starsk!" Hutch sat up and pulled his lover up onto the couch. He wrapped him in his arms, put his head on Starsky's shoulder, and cried. Racking sobs. "I-I thought...gone, you were gone...couldn't find you...God, Starsk...so scared."

Starsky held him tightly, rubbing his back. "Shhh. I'm sorry. I'm here. I'm here. I didn't mean to worry you. Shhh. Stop crying, babe. Please? It's tearing me apart."

Making an effort, Hutch sat up, but didn't release Starsky from his hold. "I looked...everywhere. I...thought..."

"I know what you thought, Hutch. I am sorry I left like that. It was...too much to handle. I had lost my son...the boy I thought was my son. I didn't know what to do. So I ran. I'm sorry I hurt you."

They held each other for a few minutes. Close. So close. Both feeling the other's heart beats. Both healing in the loving embrace of their mate.

"Where did you go? Williams helped me. We looked everywhere. Huggy couldn't find out anything. I didn't know..."

"I'm sorry, babe. I, uh, ended up at Rest Haven cemetery. Where John is. I'm not crazy, Hutch, but I talked to John. I saw him."

Hutch looked at Starsky. He saw the truth in his eyes and nodded. "I believe you. I talked with my Grandfather some times."

"John told me to find you. He told me I belonged with you. That we belonged together. He loves you, Hutch."

Hutch reached for a kleenex and blew his nose. "Remind me to drive out and thank John."

They both smiled.

"What are we going to do, Starsk?"

"It's still the middle of the night. Let's get some sleep. And tomorrow we find Danni. And we make her pay."

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

Walking into the bedroom, they began to strip.

Starsky took off his jacket and turned to toss it on the chair. Hutch heard something fall on the floor. He bent down and picked up a pin of some kind. Looking at it, he recognized it as a medal that had been on John Blain's dress uniform when he was buried.

"Starsk...:" Hutch held out the medal to his lover.

"After...John and I talked...he, uh, was back in the mausoleum. When I looked down, this pin was on the step."

"We need to find a safe place to keep this, Starsk. Maybe I could make a frame for it. You can put it on the wall in your place."

"That would be good. Thank you, Hutch."

Climbing into bed, they turned to each other, touching and lightly kissing. They settled in the middle of the bed, holding onto the one person in life they both knew loved unconditionally.

Sleep claimed them.

Starsky woke early. He couldn't sleep. Thoughts of John, Michael and Danni filled his head. He made a pot of coffee, and sat in the dark apartment sipping it. When the sun began to peek in the windows, he decided to make Hutch breakfast. Soon he heard the shower. Starsky filled the serving platter with eggs, bacon and a few slices of buttered toast. He placed it in the middle of the table, along with a bowl of fresh fruit. As he carried two full steaming cups of hot coffee to the table, Hutch came walking out, finalizing his belt buckle as he slipped the end of the belt through one of the loops in his pants.

"Smells great." Hutch kissed his lover. "You taste great." He smiled.

"It's the bacon." Starsky grinned and popped a small piece in his mouth.

They both sat down and ate.

"Uh...Starsk? I have to tell you something."

Starsky looked up. He was tired of getting 'news' lately. He didn't say anything at first, but when he saw Hutch clam up he decided to. "What? Well? What?"

"I don't know how to tell you this. Damit. I should have said something, but too much was happening. I almost told you when I got back from Garret’s office that day at the hospital. I saw you talking to Michael. Telling him what it was going to be like with us. I just couldn't, Starsk...I couldn't tell you that Garret told me the blood tests came back and...the baby wasn't yours." Hutch couldn't look his partner in the eye. "Michael needed you and you needed him at that moment. The thought crossed my mind when I went back out into the waiting area. I would have to tell you, but I had to pick the right time. God, I'm sorry, babe. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me? I did it for you. I knew everything you were going through...this would..." Hutch pushed his plate away.

Starsky looked down then off into the apartment. "That’s what he was talking about."

"Who was talking about what?" Hutch was puzzled.

"John said, 'Some times people do things to protect others, but they do it because they love you. Always remember that.' I didn't understand what he was trying to say, because Michael was just taken...well, given to his parents. I thought it was that, but it didn't make sense. Then I thought about John not telling me he was Gay. But, I knew that wasn't it either. John knew I would never hold a grudge against him. I loved him. And I love you, Hutch. I would never hold a grudge for you loving me so much that you wanted to protect me from a fall." Starsky got up and Hutch followed. The two embraced and kissed.

"I really thought about it when you left. I didn't tell you when I found out and I thought you would hate me for that."

"I'd never hate you. So if you think you're gonna get rid of me for something like, you might as well think again." Starsky pulled him close and let out a long sigh.

Hutch held on to his lover and didn't want to let go, but he knew they had a lot of work still to do.

The phone rang. Hutch walked over and picked up the receiver. "Hello? Yeah? Wait...wait...keep her there! I don't care what you do...keep her there!" As he hung up, Starsky was at the door waiting for him. Hutch grabbed his gun belt and jacket. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I can't believe you're asking me that. Yes, I'm up to it...fed up to here with her. I want it done and over with and her in jail where she belongs."

"Good enough for me, buddy." Hutch grinned and opened the door.

Huggy sighed and walked over to the booth. Danni had some papers she was looking though. "Kind of out of your league here, aren't you?"

Danni looked up and scoffed. "I'm meeting a...er...client here. They said they would be late, so I decided to come here and eat. You do have 'real' food here, don't you?"

Huggy held his tone. "What would the lady like?"

"Ice tea, to start, and a BLT with mayo on the side. Can you manage that? Oh, and drain the grease off the bacon."

"Coming right up, miss." Huggy wanted to go back and bring out the grease and dump it on her. He walked to the back and told the cook the order.

"Special order, boss?"

"Yeah...make it nice and slow." Huggy winked and walked out Hutch stopped Starsky at the door. "Hey. Listen, you need to calm down." Hutch could literally feel Starsky vibrating because of his anger. "I mean it. If you can't do this, we'll wait for Williams and Taggert to get here. They are three minutes out."

"I can do this."

"Promise me you won't lose your cool."

Starsky stood there, as he looked right in Hutch's eyes. "I can't promise you that. But I'll try not to, okay?"

Hutch nodded and allowed Starsky to walk in first.

Starsky walked in and looked around. Huggy pointed to the back booth. He walked towards the booth. "Well, well, well."

"Oh, David. I...uh...hi. I just got back. I am telling you. All this divorce stuff. I'm waiting for someone, then I have to go get Michael...uh, where is Michael?"

"Safe."

Danni gave him a nervous smile. "Well..good, you seem like a good dad. I appreciate you watching him for me. We...uh...are heading back to Mont...Maine this afternoon. I don't know when we will be back...

Hutch watched two men walk in the front door.

Danni waved and they walked toward her. "I have business here...then a plane to catch. If you could maybe get Michael ready..."

Starsky leaned on the table, and got in Danni's face. "Looks like you're gonna miss that flight, Schweetheart."

"What do you mean, miss my flight?"

The men were standing there listening.

"You're under arrest for Kidnapping, child abuse and a few other things that might get tacked on."

The two men turned to run, and ran into Williams and Taggert. They had them over a couple tables and hand cuffed. "Going somewhere, gentlemen?"

"You can't do this! He's my kid! I didn't do anything wrong!" Starsky pushed her up against the wall. Her eyes got wide.

"Starsk!" Hutch came up behind him.

"Listen, you little bitch. You took him from your sister a year ago. That poor kid has been abused for a year! He's in the hospital because you hurt him so bad...not to mention the mental stuff he and his parents will have to deal with."

"Don't...don't hit me!"

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of it. I'm gonna make sure you're locked away and never going to see the light of day for a long time. Got that?" He shoved her toward Hutch and then walked out of the bar.

Huggy let out the breath he was holding. The cook came out and handed him the plate. As he watched Hutch and the other officers lead the two men and Danni out, he took a bite of the BLT.

Two patrol cars pulled up and the men were put in them. Danni was put in Williams’ car.

Hutch walked up to Williams. "Thanks. I was trying to figure out how to chain Starsky's hands to the steering wheel if she would be in his car." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I figured that. I was thinking about that on the way here and called for backup. What are those?" Williams pointed to the papers Hutch had in his hand.

"Seems she was selling Michael to the highest bidder. Here, take these and give them to Dobey. He'll know what to do.

"You guys going to the station to chat with our friends we just made?"

"I think I'll let you two handle that. I think Starsky needs a break today. Tell Dobey we're taking a time out and I'll call him later. He'll understand."

"You got it."

Hutch walked to the car and got in. Starsky was watching Williams and Taggert pull away. He placed his hand on Starskys. "I'm proud of you, babe. That could have been a bad situation."

"She wasn't worth it. She never has been."

"Why don't we go for a drive? I have something to show you."

"I want to go to the hospital first." Starsky looked over at Hutch.

"Stars..."

"I've been thinking a lot. I really was sad when I found out he wasn't mine. But, I understand how his mom and dad feel. I just knew him for four days...he was their boy. I just need to ...hell, I don't even know what I am gonna say to them, but, I just need to go. Please?"

He couldn't refuse Starsky. So he drove them to the hospital. When they got to the floor, he followed Starsky to the door. He put his hand on Starsky's back, offering quiet support.

Starsky knocked and walked into the room. Michael was sitting in his Mother's lap in a chair by the window. Michael's father was standing beside the chair looking down with tears in his eyes.

Starsky walked over to them. He held out his hand. "David Starsky. And this is my partner, Ken Hutchinson."

Hutch stepped forward and shook hands with the man.

"I'm Jacob Brockman. This is Monica Brockman. We wanted to thank you for taking such good care of our son. We've been looking for him forever. Danni was always a few steps ahead of us. We want to give you a reward..."

Hutch stopped him. "Thank you, but no, Sir."

Starsky added, "Put in a college fund for Michael, SIr."

"Please call me Jacob."

Monica stood up, carefully handed Michael to Jacob, and turned to face Starsky and Hutch.

She stepped up to Starsky and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. Thank you for taking such good care of my son." When she stepped back, they saw the tears in her eyes. She hugged Hutch and moved to stand by Jacob.

"We had almost given up hope. But now..." She couldn't go on. Jacob wrapped his free arm around her.

"You two are true heroes. I'm an accountant. If either of you EVER need financial advice, please come to me. It would please me to assist you." He handed them his card.

"Thank you, Jacob. We'll hang on to this card. You never know." Hutch smiled at the threesome.

Starsky stepped closer. "Would you mind...could I...just to say goodbye...may I hold Michael?"

Hutch took a step closer to Starsk and put his hand on Starsky's shoulder.

Monica stepped forward and carefully transferred the small boy to Starsky's arms, stepped up, and placed a kiss on Starsky's cheek. "You are welcome to come and visit him whenever you want. Jacob and I want you and your partner to be his Godfathers."

Starsky held Michael like he was made of fine porcelain. "You hear that, buddy? Hutch and me are gonna be your Godfathers. Anytime you need us, we'll be there. I love you, Michael. And I will miss you. But you are back with your parents. Back home."

Hutch was so proud of his lover. Starsky was being so strong.

"Thank you, both for that." Hutch said. "We are honored to be his Godfathers. Any time either of you need us, we'll be there for you and for Michael."

Monica stepped up and kissed Hutch on the cheek.

"I hate to think of what might have happened to my baby if you two hadn't been there."

"Danni will be spending most of her life behind bars. She's facing charges in several states. You won't have to worry about her anymore."

"Thank you. Both of you."

Hutch was about to suggest it was time for them to leave when Starsky placed a kiss on Michael's cheek and handed him back to Monica. He didn't bother to wipe the tears off his cheek.

"Thank you for letting me hold him again. He's a very special young man. I...we will always be there for him. We, ah, have to get back to work."

The Rileys both said thank you again and smiled as the men left.

In the elevator, Hutch turned to Starsky. "You okay, love?"

"Yeah. That was hard. But it was the right thing...for Michael to be with his real parents."

"I am so proud of you, Starsk." Hutch leaned in to kiss him. He pulled back just as the door opened and a doctor and nurse stepped in he car.

"We'll, uh, continue that conversation when we're back at the station." Hutch smiled at Starsky.

"Yeah...as we're finishing up those files I am sure are waiting for us." Starsky smiled back.

Hutch knew then. He could feel it. Starsky was going to be okay. He'd hurt at times, but Hutch would be there for him. Always.

They were at Hutch's house.

Hutch went into the bedroom then out to the greenhouse. He had some things in his hands,

Starsky looked up from the couch. "What are you doing?"

"I have something to fix."

"You need help?"

"Nah, I got it."

Starsky picked up the car magazine he'd been reading.

Hutch quickly set his items on the work bench where he potted his plants. A little glue, A few small nails and he was done. He held the item behind his back and walked back into the living room.

"What'cha hiding, partner?"

"Something for you."

"Well, you gonna keep hiding it, or show me?"

Hutch pulled a small frame out and handed it to Starsky.

It was about six by six inches. It had a piece of blue velvet in it. John Blain's pin was in the middle of the velvet. A place of honor.

"This is...Hutch, this is beautiful!"

"I thought you could hang it on your wall. Always there. John always there with you."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you, Hutch?"

"Only about a million times. But you can tell me again."

"I love you. You are my heart."

"And I love you, Starsk. You are my world."

"Hold this for me, will you?" He handed Starsky a key.

"What is this?"

"What's it look like? It's a key."

"I know that." Starsky rolled his eyes.

"Hand me your car keys and follow me. Starsky did. Hutch headed toward the beach. He drove past the beaches and boardwalk. Up a bit further he pulled down a small road to a house and pulled into the driveway.

Starsky got out with Hutch and looked around. "Whose house is this?"

"A friend’s. Open the door."

"This is nice. Right on the beach. Your friend out of town?"

"Yeah. Sort of. " Hutch smiled.

Starsky shrugged and opened the door. It was defiantly a sea faring place. Decorated in full nautical. Starsky smiled as he looked around. "Arr. Do I need a patch?"

Hutch opened the refrigerator and made a small 'yes' gesture. He pulled out two bottles and handed one to Starsky.

As Starsky walked around the house he drank his beer. He got to the bedroom that over looked the beach and ocean. Starsky put the bottle down and unlatched the window, letting the ocean breeze in. "This is beautiful."

Hutch came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Starsky's waist. He kissed his neck. "It’s ours."

"Wait...what??"

"It's ours. When I thought...well, I thought we needed a place...when I thought we were going to have Michael with us, I thought maybe we needed something for all of us. But after everything that happened, now I think we need this more than ever. Starsk, I want a life with you. I figure, we can invite them here so Michael can play on the beach...just like you wanted."

Starsky didn't know what to say.

"We don't have to do this. I was only going to rent it for a while and then buy it out right when we decided on what to do. Sam said he isn't in any hurry, so I can do what I want. We can fix it up with our stuff. He just wanted to make sure."

"This is really nice, babe. I love it." Starsky pulled his lover close and kissed him. "It just threw me off for a minute. Michael will love it. And we can use that extra room as a guest room. We can fix it up with boats and stuff for Michael!"

Hutch laughed. "Better make sure they are made of plastic."

"I think I'm going to put what you made with John's pin right there in the living room. I'm sure he is really happy for us right now. He loved you, Hutch. He was really proud of us."

"I'm proud of you, babe. You have overcome so much. Everything you've gone through and you still keep going. You need your breaks, but, you come out on the other side stronger." Hutch kissed him and held him tight.

"I wouldn't be able to do it if it wasn't for you."

Hutch kissed Starsky again, and this time it intensified. He pulled Starsky's shirt off and continued until they were both undressed and making love in their new home. That evening was spent on the deck and watching the sun set. Both men feeling like their lives were complete.


End file.
